Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । त्रेतायुगे ब्रह्मसमः पौलस्त्योनाम विश्रवाः । तपः कृत्वा सुविपुलं भरद्वाजसुतोद्भवः

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tretāyuge brahmasamaḥ paulastyonāma viśravāḥ | tapaḥ kṛtvā suvipulaṃ bharadvājasutodbhavaḥ

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya sprach: Im Tretā-Yuga lebte Viśravā, ein Nachkomme Pulasṭyas, Brahmā an Hoheit gleich. Aus der Linie des Sohnes Bharadvājas hervorgegangen, übte er überaus reiche Askese.

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री+मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• त्रेतायुगॆ: in the Tretā age
• त्रेतायुगॆ: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रेता+युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (त्रेतायाः युगम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ब्रह्मसमः: equal to Brahmā
• ब्रह्मसमः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्मन्+सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (ब्रह्मणा समः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (विश्रवाः)

• पौलस्त्यः: Paulastya (descendant of Pulastya)
• पौलस्त्यः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पौलस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नाम: by name
• नाम: Nāmadhāraṇa (Naming particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: नाम-शब्दः (indeclinable particle indicating name)

• विश्रवाः: Viśravā
• विश्रवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्रवस्/विश्रवा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having done/performed
• कृत्वा: Purvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive)

• सुविपुलम्: very great
• सुविपुलम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु+विपुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (तपः)

• भरद्वाजसुतोद्भवः: born as the son of Bharadvāja
• भरद्वाजसुतोद्भवः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरद्वाज+सुत+उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (भरद्वाजस्य सुतः; तस्मात् उद्भवः/उत्पन्नः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya begins the account: in Tretā-yuga, Viśravā of Pulastya’s line, Brahmā-like in splendor, performs vast austerities; the scene shifts from dialogue to visionary past.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Tretā Yuga
• Pulastya
• Viśravā
• Bharadvāja

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Great spiritual authority and destiny are portrayed as arising from intense tapas and righteous lineage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is within the Revā Khaṇḍa framework, oriented to the sacred geography of the Revā/Narmadā region, though no single tīrtha is named in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed here; it highlights tapas (austerity) as the transformative discipline.